Toothpick dispensing device



Dec. 20, 1932. H, 511mm 1,891,781

TOOTHPICK DISPENSING DEVICE Filed March 15, 1930 Inventqr Patented Dec. 20, 1932 manyerum or rm nmrniarsmisnveme TQOTHPIQK DISPENSING DEVICE Application filed llarch 15,1930. Serial No. 436,019,

' This invention relates to tooth pick dis,- pensin devices, and particularly tothat kind theme which are adap ed to proj ct one tooth pick at a time, and upward from said device. 7

Tooth picks, particularly those made of wood, when put into a shallow dish to be picked up by a user, are subject to dust and the contact of soiled fingers, besides sucha way of serving tooth picks is wasteful as well as unsanitary, inasmuch as more tooth picks are taken up at one time than are usually needed, for a person can only use one ata time.

It is therefore the main object ,of'my invention to provide a device adapted to hold tooth picks vertically. and manually operate to roject p ot n ck, upw d y p t mg ir'lom th de i e, at a t me, by pu in i a button, preferably at the side of the device.

Another object of my inventionis to'proyids a tooth pick dispensing device,having a s mpl and easily Operat d i r t n, and one which byits formof construction easily lends itself to the usual-methods of 'iminnfacture for quantity production at a compa ati e y c ap c st- Another object is to provide a dispensing device for tooth picks which can be -em-' bodied in aislenfder and well formed ceasing which will blend in style with the usual set of table ware. s -o AL- further object is to provide in a device for dispensing tooth icks, a storage champicks upright resting vupon a conical floor within the chamber, so that the picks will gravitate toward a hole in the center of the floor the hole being of such a diameter that 5 only one pick will lodge therein at a time, and register with a plunger upon which the i-single tooth pick rests, havingmechanisin below for operating the plunger to force out the tooth pick from the number occupying the storagechamber; I also desire to guide the pick automatically in its upward travel, ,so that by reason of the particular forma tion of the cap of the device, theupper .end of the, rojected pick will workits way towardt e centerofthe top of the cap and berin the top thereo adapted to hold the,

of its height, is a conical member 2 1 haying ,lts upper face formed into ahopper tern eng h 5, a Siz 5 n mii Q am Is h' l i r n; p jec ing. its 9 mi- P e dupw dtmv l 3' 1 st e ou t b as ta en h fi y he'i l mb and fines? Mi completely withdrawn I With these and other objects which will hereinafter appear, my invention resides in certain construction, 9 16 embodime t" [of which is illustrated in the eqqomianying drawing. The construction therein s jowii is described below, the operation"being ,eii-fio plained andwhatl claim is set are if: r

- In th -drawi g, 1

F 'gu-re 1 is a sectional elevation of a tooth pick device for disp using one tooth pick alt a time, and'embodies my invention, 7 Figure 2 is an elevation of the operating means shown in Figure ferent side thereof. 7

F gure 3 's anothereleyation ofthe'saidop crating device, looking into the side oppos te 20 to that shown in Figure 2f- Figure 4 is a top plan ofthe frame and assembled parts therewith, whichlare sliown in the other figures indifferent, vieWSthereof.

Fi ure 5 is a e v t n i s ti 'is th v. 5

gpflyi e'r part of the plunger rod, showingitjhe ow cup shape of the topfof therod for ,enga ement with the central tooth pick of the bunc within the storage cha nber. f

'In the figures, the taperedlcasing lp ispo shown to be flared at thebase 11 which has an pifset 12, forming a seat 13,, up against which'jthe circular base,

. P at is ild by the screw 15. The edge' 16 ,of thebase 1 1, forms a footing for thedevice. vA tlthe,upper end of ,the casing 10 is formed ,a thread 17 adapted for screw,threaded-engagement with the caip 18,.which has a .downwardlydiyerginginner. wall 19, In the top cfthe 18 1s arentral hole 20,-of a size to permit on ly onetooth pick to be protruded therethru, at

a time. i Fitting within the casing l 3 a mi a only ,one tooth pick at atimeto lodge'the fein. etw en the member 21 and he'bas nae i4, and fixed toQbQth member 21 and plate- 14, a,,1fra -24, ,wh ii i h n made she 1 V forced inwardly,

' frame 24.

' the guideway bottom material, having two upright and parallel sides 25 and 26, with two spacing plates 27 and 28 integral therewith, and positioned, respectively, at the top and the bottom of the Journaled in the sides 25 and 26 of the frame 24, are the three small shafts 29, 30 and 31. On the shaft 29 is fixed a small annularly grooved pulley 32, while on the shaft 30 is fixed a comparatively larger grooved pulley 33. Engaging the grooves of these pulleys is shown a small chain34, fixed at 35 to the pulley 33. The inner length of chain 34, between the pulleys is vertical and parallel with the plunger rod 36, andis fixed at 37 to. the rod 36. The lower part of the rod f 36 is fixed to a sliding: member or block 38, .havin two sets of fingers 39 and 40, on each side 0 I the block 38. Between theset offingers 39 and 40 on oneside of the block 38 is the guid'eway 41, and between the set of fingers 39 and 40, on the opposite side of the lock 38 is the guideway 42, parallel with 41. These guideways 41 and 42 are parallel and fixed at their ends to the member 21 and the base plate 14.

Upon the shaft 31 is fixed the segmental gear 43, having teeth 44, meshing with the small gear 45, which is fixed upon the shaft 28, with the larger pulley 33. Also fixed upon the shaft 31 is a cam finger 46, which extends outward and downward intocontact with the inner end of'the pusher rod 47, and has a.

position directly behind the rod 36, so that the pusher rod comes in a radial position with respect to the formation'of the'conical casing 10. The pusher rod 47 has a knob 48, and is journalled within the cylindrical block 49, which is fixed to the casing 10. A wire spring 50 encircles the shaft 31 along side of the segmental gear 43 and has its end 51 bearing against the plate 27, and its lower end hooked at 52 upon the segmental gear 43.

Relative to the operation of the above described device, assume that a quantity of tooth picks 53 have been put into the chamber and that the cap 18 has been screwed on in the place shown in Figure 1. The tooth picks 53 will then have their lower ends resting upon the inclined surface of the hopper 22, the inclination of which should be sufficient to have the lower ends of the tooth picks slide naturally together, although a few to the right in the drawing are shown apart to illustrate them separately. One of the bunch of tooth picks will gravitate into the hole 23, which is a little larger than the end of the tooth pick, but too small to admit of two at a time. The tooth pick resting in the hole 23, upon the cup, end 36 of the plunger rod 36, is numbered 55. Now, upon pushing in the rod 47, the camfinger46 is the segmental gear 43 clock-wise, as seen in Figure 1. This turning of the gear 43 clockwise is against the down pressure exerted by verging inner wall19, of the cap 18, is

turning the shaft '31 and the spring 50 upon the gear 43. The gear 45, in mesh with the gear 43 then turns counter clockwise, as does the pulley 33, fixed on the same shaft 30, upon which the gear 45 is fixed, and the inclined part of the chain 34 between the pulleys 32 and 33, is pulled downward, pulling up the vertical side of the chain 34, and the rod 36, attached thereto, with the sliding block 38. The rod 36, in sliding engagement at its end 36 with the hole 23, lifts up the tooth pick 55, resting upon it, so that the upper end of the tooth pick 55, coming into contact with the con uided into the hole 20, thru which the tooth pick 55 passes, coming to astop at 55, as shown in Figure 1, when the pusher rod 47 has reached its inmost limit, and the tooth pick 55, having reached the limit of its upward travel, remains in that position as the rod 47 is released, and the action of the spring 50, returns the parts to their normal position. As the plunger rod 36 drops away from 'con tact with the tooth pick 55, the other tooth picks close in at their lower ends and frictionally bind against the lower end of the tooth pick 55, causing the latter to stay up projectin out of the cap 18. When the tooth pic 55, in its upmost position 55 is withdrawn by the thumb and finger of the user, another tooth pick gravitatesinto the hole 23, upon top of the plunger rod 36, ready to be pushed out when theknob 48 is pushed inwardly, for a repetition of the ejecting operation. j I havefound when using my model; made as illustrated and described above, that a sudden and forceful push on the knob'48, causes the tooth pick to jump out clear of the device.

When the last tooth pick of the bunch has been projected, the cap 18 can be unscrewed and a new supply of tooth picks put into the storage chamber 54, and the cap 18 screwed back in place. V I

This construction of dispensing device lends itself to the slender tapering shape of the casing, and makes for aneat appearance, resembling somewhat in shape the saltcellar for'table use. The partsof the'device are comparatively few and most of them can be stamped out of sheet metal.

Inasmuch as changes in the construction of the device herein shown in the one embodiment of the same can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of my in-- vention, I wish to include all modifications which come within the purview of the appended claims.

I claim,

1. In a tooth pick dispensing device adapt ed to eject one tooth pick longitudinally and vertically at a time, and having a plunger for ejecting said toothpick, a frame, two sprocket wheels journaled in said frame, one of said wheels being smaller than the other,

the smaller of said wheels being uppermost, a sprocket chain engaging said wheels, said chain being connected with said plunger, and means for actuating said wheels to move said chain manually. 3

2. A tooth pick dispensing device adapted to project one tooth pick at a time from a bunch of tooth picks contained therein, comprising a casing, an upright storage chamber in the upper part of said casing, a conically formed cap removably attached to the top of i said casing, having an inclined and upward- 1y converging inner wall terminating in a hole at its apex, a hopper bottom to said chamber, terminating below in a hole, into which a single tooth pick is adapted to gravitate at its end, a plunger rod positioned for vertical reciprocation in said hole, of said hopper bottom, and reciprocating means for operating the said plunger rod, comprising a frame below said hopper bottom, three shafts journaled in said frame, one of said shafts being above and parallel to another of said shafts, a pulley on each of the two last mentioned shafts, said pulleys being in the same plane, a chain or the like as a belt engaging said pulleys, said chain being fixed to the lower part of said rod, a guiding means for said rod for keeping it in line with its axis during its reciprocation, a gear fixed on the same shaft with the lower of said pulleys, a

larger gear upon the third shaft, in'mesh with the previous gear mentioned, and means extending outside said cas ng adapted to rotate said gears.

HARRY SADJIAN. 

